THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has denied the entry of a foreign national previously convicted of a sex-related crime involving a minor.
Intercepted at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on June 16 was 36-year-old Matthew Stephen Gross, an American citizen who arrived aboard an Eva Air flight from Taipei. Gross was excluded and immediately sent back to his port of origin under immigration exclusion proceedings.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Gross was reportedly convicted in 2012 for Second-Degree Sex Abuse in the United States. The offense involved a 17-year-old victim.
The exclusion is part of the Bureau’s intensified efforts to protect vulnerable sectors, particularly children, under its flagship #ShieldKids campaign.
Gross has been added to the BI’s blacklist, permanently barring him from future entry into the Philippines.
Sandoval said that under existing immigration rules, individuals convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, including sexual offenses, may be denied entry for being a threat to public interest and safety.
